Mick Jones: A Quiet Day, for a Juke Box Hero

It is an amusement of New York life that rock stars live among us, picking up dry cleaning or going to the dentist just like everybody else. And it is a quirk of contemporary rock stardom that its constituents now come in all vintages, with hairstyles and heydays stretching back for decades. So it is that Mick Jones, 69, original lead guitarist of the band Foreigner, has been living near Central Park since the ’70s, long enough that he can say, in the accent of Somerset, England, “I’m really a native New Yorker.” These days he is sometimes eclipsed by his stepchildren and children, who include: the D.J., singer and producer Mark Ronson, 38; the fashion designer Charlotte Ronson, 36; the singer and D.J. Samantha Ronson, 36; and the actress Annabelle Dexter-Jones, 27. Foreigner will perform with Styx and Don Felder at Jones Beach on Long Island on June 28.

MORNING CHEER Usually I get up at 9:30, 10 o’clock on Sunday. But I’m a big English soccer fan, so I get up really early if there’s a great game on. They start broadcasting about 8 o’clock in the morning. My team is Liverpool. And I’m also a Formula One enthusiast. Sometimes they’re broadcast at 3 in the morning. It has to be a really exciting race for me to hang in for that.

Image

Out on a Sunday.CreditGregg Vigliotti for The New York Times

TEA AND COMPANY I get up, make myself a nice cup of English tea, have maybe an English muffin and some fruit, try to have a healthy beginning to the day. Then I usually pick up the phone and call around, check with a couple friends, maybe see what some of the kids are doing.

IT’S ALL A BLUR I’m a night person, even though I don’t do a lot of night life things at the moment. When I’m writing I tend to stay up late. There’s not a lot of distinction between the days for me, as much as there is for someone who works a five-day week.

GATHERING THE TRIBE We usually end up with late lunches. That could be anywhere between 2 and 5 o’clock. I’m friendly with the owner of a restaurant called Bilboquet, which is on 60th Street between Madison and Park. Or there’s a little place on 62nd called Amaranth, which is a nice bistro to relax in. It’s my local.

Image

At Central Park Zoo with his daughter, Annabelle Dexter-Jones.CreditGregg Vigliotti for The New York Times

We’ll do it uptown near me, and then go down to where a couple of my children live in the Village. We tend to be not too organized, so you have to be kind of loose. We don’t plan lunch a week ahead of time. Never have.

NO DISGUISES I don’t get noticed a lot. The band has historically been low key as far as not doing any of the sort of press that would lead to people recognizing you so much. So for me it’s a healthy amount, just enough to keep me saying, “Oh, that’s nice.” I don’t have a problem walking around New York. Just an occasional, “Yo, Mick.” Nothing that is bothersome. People know my stepson Mark from his press and his success. Samantha has a big following on social media. But it’s nothing that we have to be careful about.

SUNDAY IN THE PARK Something I do occasionally with my daughter Annabelle is go to the zoo and just spend an hour in there. We’ve done it since she was young. I like going down to see the penguins. They’re very funny. I could stand there and watch them for hours. We’ll do that, or my daughter is very interested in art. She usually has a look-see what’s going on this week. We’ll go to the Frick sometimes.

Image

Dining with, left to right, Ann Dexter-Jones, his former wife; Charlotte Ronson, one of his stepdaughters; and Annabelle Dexter-Jones.CreditGregg Vigliotti for The New York Times

THREADS I’m a shopping junkie. Unfortunately I live one and a half blocks from Barneys. I have to negotiate sometimes not to walk by there, in case somebody hooks me in there against my will. I like to dress well. Obviously that originates from being onstage over the years, being conscious of my appearance. Apart from that I have no excuses, really. I’ve got a pretty big collection of clothes and shoes and suits. I try to keep it under control. I have a couple big closets you can walk in. I guess you’d call it retail therapy. I love clothes. I’m fairly particular about my appearance. Does that sound vain?

QUIET NIGHTS Then it could be a movie. I just like to spend some quiet time recharging a bit. I don’t usually accept that many invitations to go to dinner or to a cocktail party. I like to catch “60 Minutes” if I can, but these days you can pretty much record anything you need to see.

PEN TO PAPER Sometimes I write at night. Or if it’s Sunday I’m usually fairly frustrated trying to finish up the Sunday crossword. Then I’ll read. I just finished “The Goldfinch.” If you live in New York, it’s a great opening.